1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for processing a card clothing mounted on a card clothing carrier, particularly an all-steel sawtooth card carrier, with at least one processing tool and a guiding device serving for guiding the processing tool along a predetermined path.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices of this type are used, for example, for maintaining and starting the operation of cards and carding machines. A card is used in fiber processing for cleaning and parallelizing individual fibers. For this purpose, a card is equipped with a drum and a plurality of so-called flats. The drum referred to is an approximately circular cylindrical cylinder which is equipped on its outer surface with a clothing generally formed of a sawtooth wire extending in a coil shape, wherein the circular cylindrical cylinder serving as the carrier is rotatable about its cylinder axis. Referred to as the flats are fiber processing elements which extend approximately parallel to the cylinder axis of the drum, wherein the fiber processing elements are equipped on its side facing the drum clothing with a clothing composed, for example, of sawtooth wire sections or card wires. For fiber processing, the drum is rotated and the drum takes along the fibers to be processed, wherein the fibers are parallelized and cleaned as a result of the cooperation of the drum clothing and the flat clothings. Fiber processing tools which are similar to the drum of a card and which also are usually called drums are used in carding machines which are used for manufacturing or processing worsted yarns, synthetic fibers, non-woven fabrics, cotton wool, etc.
During this fiber processing, a significant wear and also a significant contamination of the drum clothing occurs. For this reason, it is necessary to regularly regrind and/or clean the drum clothing. Usually used for regrinding the drum clothing are grinding devices which can be secured to the card frame and extend essentially in the direction of the cylinder axis of the drum, wherein the grinding devices can grind the clothing mounted on the circular cylindrical or roll-shaped carrier of the drum during a rotation of the drum. In view of the fact that the drum of a card has in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder axis usually a width of at least 1.5 meters and the drum of a carding machine may have a length of up to 5 meters, grinding elements are usually used which can be moved back and forth along a guiding device extending parallel to the cylinder axis of the drum, so that the entire width of the drum can be processed using a relatively small grinding element.
Devices of the type described last are disclosed, for example, in DE-A-196 05 635. With respect to a construction, the operation and the assembly of a grinding device suitable for regrinding a drum clothing, the disclosure content of this document is hereby incorporated into this description by express reference.
Even though it is possible to carry out a reliable and effective processing of all-steel sawtooth card clotting, using the grinding devices known from the cited document, it has been found that the assembly of the known processing devices regularly poses significant problems with respect to the generally very narrow space available in the area of a card and particularly in the area of a carding machine.
In view of these problems in the prior art, the invention is based on the object of providing a device for processing a clothing mounted on a clothing carrier which can be easily mounted at the location of use while ensuring a satisfactory operation.
According to the invention, this object is met by a further development of the known processing devices which is essentially characterized in that the guiding device has at least two guiding elements which are adjustable between a work position and a transport position, wherein the guiding elements extend in the work position along a longer portion of the predetermined path than in the transport position.
This solution of the object of the invention is based on the finding that the principal difficulty in the assembly of the known processing devices is in the transport of this processing device to the location of use, because the guiding devices of the processing device must have a length which corresponds approximately to the length of the predetermined path. This length of the guiding device constructed, for example, in the form of a guiding rail, may be up to 4.5 m in a processing device which can be used for regrinding the drum of a carding machine, so that a transport of these processing devices is hardly possible particularly in view of the narrow space available in factory buildings.
In the further development of the known processing device according to the present invention, this problem is solved by dividing the guiding device which predominantly determines the dimensions of the processing device into at least two guiding elements, so that the total length of the processing device is reduced for transporting purposes to at least about half. Consequently, a simple transport of the processing device according to the invention to the location of use is made possible. At the location of use itself, the processing device according to the invention can then be adjusted in a simple manner into the work position in which the guiding elements extend along the total predetermined path, i.e., for example, along the total width of the drum of a carding machine in the direction of the drum axis over 2.5 to 5 meters, so that a complete processing of the clothing is made possible.
Even though the processing device according to the invention may also have two guiding elements which are completely separated from each other in the transport position it has been found particularly advantageous for the transport and the assembly if the guiding elements are still connected to each other even in the transport position because this ensures that the individual guiding elements are always assigned to the corresponding guiding elements. In this connection, it has been found particularly advantageous structurally as well as for ensuring a high operational reliability if the guiding elements are connected to each other through a joint preferably in the form of a flap-type hinge having a hinge axis extending perpendicularly of the predetermined path because the individual joint elements, such as the individual hinge flaps, can be attached particularly simply to the guiding elements and the use of a hinge having an axis extending perpendicularly of the predetermined path already ensures an alignment in a plane of the individual guiding elements formed, for example, by guiding rails. The assembly can be further simplified if the individual guiding elements each have an end face extending approximately perpendicularly of the predetermined path, wherein these end faces rest against each other in the work position and are arranged next to each other in the same plane in the transport position.
For ensuring a particularly high operational safety in the work position, the processing device according to the invention is advantageously equipped with at least one stabilizing element for stabilizing the guiding elements in the work position wherein the stabilizing element can be secured to at least one of the guiding elements. Such a stabilizing element may be constructed, for example, in the form of a stabilizing rail extending over the joint which connects the two guiding elements with each other. A particularly good stabilization is achieved if the stabilizing element has an approximately T-shaped cross-section in a sectional plane extending perpendicularly of the predetermined path because this ensures a particularly high geometrical moment of inertia of the stabilizing element.
As already mentioned above, it is particularly advantageous if the stabilizing element extends in the work position over the joint connecting the guiding elements because this ensures a protection of the joint, on the one hand, and an unintentional pivoting movement of the guiding elements about the joint axis can be reliably prevented, on the other hand. For this purpose, in accordance with a particularly advantageous further development of the invention, the stabilizing element is provided with at least one spacer member by means of which the stabilizing element can be secured to at least one of the guiding elements while forming an intermediate space serving for receiving at least one of the components of the joint or hinge.
A particularly secure locking of the guiding elements in the work position can be achieved if the stabilizing element and/or the hinge has at least one coupling area preferably extending along the predetermined path for effecting a positively connecting engaging connection with a coupling area of the guiding element of complimentary construction, because this makes it possible to reliably prevent a tilting motion of the two guiding elements about a tilting axis extending transversely of the hinge axis. The coupling areas can be realized structurally in a particularly simple manner if they are constructed in the form of grooves formed in the guiding elements and being in alignment with each other in the work position wherein corresponding coupling ledges of the stabilizing element and/or the joint engage in the grooves.
The above-described locking of the guiding elements in the work position can be ensured without influencing the operability of the processing tool if the joint and/or the stabilizing element is arranged on a side of the guiding device located opposite the work position of the clothing to be processed, wherein the guiding device is realized, for example, in the form of a guiding rail having an approximately square cross-section.
Event though the device according to the invention can also advantageously be used in those processing devices in which the processing tool is moved automatically along the predetermined path by the rotating motion of the clothing mounted in the shape of a coil on a circular cylindrical carrier, as, for example, when using a cleaning tool with cleaning blades extending into the clothing lanes formed between the individual coils of the clothing, it has been found particularly advantageous especially in devices for regrinding a clothing if the processing tool is coupled through a traction member preferably in the form of a toothed belt extending around a drive roller and a guide roller to a drive device serving for moving the processing tool along the redetermined path. In this connection, for avoiding an excessive elongation of the traction member when adjusting the processing device according to the invention between the work position and the transport position, it has been found particularly advantageous, if the traction member is releasably fastened to the processing tool.
For simplifying the assembly of such a processing device, it has been found advantageous if the traction member is fastened for this purpose to a fastening element of the processing tool which is releasably connected to a processing element of the processing tool. In the case of an adjustment from the work position into the transport position it is then possible to separate the fastening element together with the traction member from the processing element and it can simultaneously also be ensured that the fastening element with the traction member fastened thereto and separated from the processing element is guided along a guide means formed in the guiding elements, so that an uncontrolled movement of the traction member separated from the processing tool is prevented.
For this purpose, the processing device according to the invention may additionally include a limiting element which can be secured relative to the guiding device and is movable preferably along the predetermined path for limiting the movement of the fastening element of the processing tool separated from the processing element along the predetermined path. The just-described guidance of the fastening element separated from the processing element can be realized in a particularly simple manner if at least one of the guiding elements has a guiding groove extending along the predetermined path for receiving a guiding portion of the processing tool because this guiding groove can also be utilized for guiding the fastening element. IN the embodiment of the invention described last, the fastening element may have a stop area for preventing the fastening element from completely penetrating into the guiding groove after the fastening element has been separated from the processing element. Such a fastening element may have, for example, an approximately T-shaped cross-section in a plane extending perpendicularly of the predetermined path with a leg received in the guiding groove and a leg resting on both sides of the guiding groove against a guiding surface of the guiding element.
A particularly compact construction of the device according to the invention can be achieved if the guiding groove opens into a hollow space extending in the guiding element in the direction of the predetermined path and serving for receiving the traction member. Such a guiding element can be realized, for example, in the form of a hollow aluminum section.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, specific objects attained by its use, reference should be had to the drawing and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention.